My Build Diary

Black RAPTOR Project Day 5

By Steven Smith · Project Diary

My daylight photographs and walkaround after removing the RAPTOR masking: black lower sides, wheel wells, hood and bumper, with the grille and vent inserts still to do.

The driver-side profile after removing the masking. By Steven Smith.

Taking in the whole van

With the masking removed, I recorded the result in daylight. The black lower sides, rocker area, arches and bumpers made a strong contrast with the white upper body and the black wheels.

My photographs move from a full side profile to close views around the rear wheel, the wheel-well finish and the back of the van. That sequence shows both the overall appearance and the texture of the areas I had just worked on.

Black-coated lower rear doors and bumper against the white upper body. — Black-coated lower rear doors and bumper against the white upper body. By Steven Smith.

The lines and the sheen

I was very happy with the way it looked. I pointed out the clean lines left after removing the tape, including after the masking had been through rain. The finish was shiny, and the daylight walkaround showed the reflections more clearly than the evening photographs had.

The roller correction had become an important part of the result. I liked the more even appearance on the sides, while still recognizing that it was glossier than the matte look I first had in mind.

The hood and front bumper, with the grille and vent inserts still visibly distinct. — The hood and front bumper, with the grille and vent inserts still visibly distinct. By Steven Smith.

The front still had follow-up work

The hood and bumper were black, but the grille and the two hood-vent inserts still had a different finish. In the walkthrough I discussed removing those pieces and working on them separately. I also talked about a small area I wanted to revisit with an aerosol product.

Those were the next jobs I was considering at this point. The photographs from today show the result before the later vent follow-up, and the Black RAPTOR Project Day 6 entry records that next update.

Keeping the daylight record

The full side view is one of my clearest photographs of the black-and-white exterior at this stage. The closer front views show the hood texture, clear headlights and the still-distinct grille and vent inserts.

The complete black RAPTOR article connects these result photographs to the preparation and application footage that came before them.

Watch the session

My original project footage in a finished, captioned edit. Video by Steven Smith.

Where I finished

Seeing the van without the masking was the rewarding part. The lower sides, black wheels and coated front now read as one exterior, while the grille and vent inserts remained on my follow-up list.

Read the complete project story for the wider sequence and related product notes.